In a country with over 700 million phone users, it can be tough standing out.

But top-earning internet celebrities, known as Wang Hong in China, can earn up to $46 million a year. It's no wonder everyone's jostling to become the Next Big Thing.

The skills you need for viral fame

At the YWICC, students are practicing in dance studios and being taught how to dress fashionably.

21-year-old Mengna Jiang is one of 33 students — mostly women — majoring in the school's Modelling and Etiquette course. Students who complete three years of the course will be awarded with an associate degree.

These are just some of the many modules offered at the University under this major.

Some of the courses available at YWICC

Image: YWICC/screenshot/google translate

To cut it as an influencer, you'll need to know, for a start: "aesthetic cultivation" and "fashion sensitivity"; "public relations etiquette" and photo processing skills.

Image: AFP/Getty Images

Image: AFP/Getty Images

"I like dressing myself up really pretty and take [sic] pictures, I feel like this major really suits me," Ms Jiang told news wire AFP.

Mengna Jiang is one of many hoping to make it big

Image: AFP/Getty Images

If you make it in a country with over a billion people, your reach could be astronomical.

Papi Jiang, one of China's most popular online celebrities, has a following of 44 million across multiple platforms.

Making money and virtual gifts

Turning your popularity into actual moolah in China is a little different from how Western influencers do it.

The majority of China's online celebrities host live-streaming events, where they film everything from their latest shopping haul to just a regular Q&A session.

Their fans who tune in to watch can buy them virtual gifts that can be redeemed for cash. For example, a virtual car bought by a fan could be cashed in for $20 — with a share of the profits going to the live-streaming platform.

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